Every food commercial, advertisement, and packaging in the US is currently protein obsessed. I just bought 3 burritos, and the most noticeable thing on the entire package is its protein content. TV commercials about waffles are advertising that they have X amount of protein per serving. The products in my jobsite’s vending machine have protein all over every package.
Did America have a protein thing recently?
You must log in or register to comment.
No one eats enough protein. It keeps you sated, and also helps retain and grow muscle if you exercise. For a country everyone calls fat, everyone SHOULD be having more of it.
The reason you’re noticing it is because of marketing propaganda. Anyone who sells a product that contains protein wants to highlight that aspect to take advantage of the public mindset who believes protein is an essential part of our diets. And the reason we even believe protein is an essential part of our diet is also because of marketing, even though it might be the case that protein actually is an essential component. The majority of the public would not know this unless they learned of it through the media. Read Propaganda by Edward Bernays. It talks about where this approach began at the beginning of the 20th century.
Maybe you missed the pendulum swung back hard after the body positivity fad of “healthy at any size” and people yelling about how calories are a lie. this all went down about 3 yrs ago.
Then after the resulting mass of influencer death from heart failures in as young as mid twenties to early thirties we are swung back on the fitness side of things again with a new ferocity involving protien and glp1 now.
Considering everyone is in their own echo chamber, I’d say it’s pretty easy to miss things.
well if that were true you wouldnt have noticed the protien …
this was in rl a lot too. Just like the protein. there were clothing lines and crap all built around plus size models. Ads all over the place about ‘size doesnt matter’ but yet attacking thin people. They were all up in everyone’s face calling anyone who counted calories to have an eating disorder. Calling down the medical field for being in on a conspiracy with diets and health. being offended over plane seats being too small. Some people outright refusing to walk anywhere and shamelessly hogging wheelchairs away from people with disabilities in airports.
it was a very weird time. not that now doesnt have it’s bizarreness…
This might need confirming so take it with a grain of salt
I heard because GLP-1 treatments got super cheap in US lately everyone is getting slimmer. So slimming doesn’t seem as a luxury anymore. And because meat quality went down massively and expensive - protein is the new luxury and “bulking up” is the new trend rather than slimming.
Typical American market manipulation.
Ozempic. People on it can’t handle sugars and carbs as well.
I think this is the correct answer. A shocking amount of people are on these weight loss drugs. When you are on these medications, you’re given guidelines for a high protein diet. Because these drugs make you lose weight pretty fast. I know several people taking these medications and it’s buy everything high protein because the drugs make you not want to eat at all so you need as much protein as possible when you do.
Yes, pretty much every female at my wife’s work is on it. I still worry that in 10 years we’ll find out there’s some horrible side effect from extended use. I could stand to lose a few myself, but I don’t want to touch the stuff for that reason and the muscle loss mentioned. I lift weights and don’t want to lose any of the gains I’ve made over the last 3 years. If I wanna get lean, I’ll just have to adjust my diet the old fashioned way to a shitload of brown rice, boiled chicken and broccoli.
This thread rightly points out all the excesses of capital-fueled social trends.
Less mentioned is that a higher protein breakfast ~20-30g vs traditional carb-heavy breakfast is actually helpful for more stable morning energy (less sugar crash), cognitive clarity, and reduced snack cravings especially later in the day. Search any of your reputable health sources and you’ll likely find something to that effect. I don’t believe it’s particularly disputed at this point.
Wait, what about morning pasta, I feel they work fine for me. Should I switch to morning sausages?
Most susages are also high in fat and salt, so I don’t know that eating them every morning would be a healthy switch. I’d feel heavy afterward. They are also high in nitrites, which lead to carcinogens… should be fine if eaten occasionally, or so I tell myself lol.
At the end of the day, it’s whatever works for you. And it’s worth trying different things.
A lot of Americans have been convinced lack of protein is why they keep gaining weight and aren’t muscular. Testosterone is in a similar position. These can be concerns for people who are low in them, or for people struggling at high levels of fitness. But it’s largely just influence from diet influencers repeating gym bro advice.
There’s also a straight line between bro culture, testosterone supplements, and fascism
Only on Lemmy can you find a link between protein powder and fascism
This place is beyond brain fucked 🤣
Because every time they try to eat something, it’s recalled.
It’s the prevalence of drugs like Ozempic. They cause people to eat a negative calorie diet so it’s very important that they keep their protein intake at or above their requirements. If they don’t, they will lose muscle at a dangerous rate.
Pretty sure these drugs are just creating huge heart health problem we’ll see in the future.
i think that might only have a weak correlation, because iirc the “trend” with high protein products started before ozempic became available.
i would say it is only the normal marketing cycle, like how 15-40 years ago it was the phase of low sugar
so i would predict that in 5-10 years we will enter a cycle with maybe high (healthy) fats/low sugar or something similar again
Congratulations, you’ve discovered the nature of advertising.
A while back during the gluten-free craze my laundry detergent proudly had “gluten-free” on the packaging.
EDIT: I learned it’s possible for plant-based detergents to have contact with gluten, so for those with zero tolerance it can be a concern.
As a gluten-intolerant, I’m pretty thankful for the marketing that made GF ‘cool’ for a bit. So many more options. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll continue drinking my GF beer.
My dog shampoo proudly states that it has not been tested on captive animals… so I’m left wondering if they’ve tested it on free animals, or if I should think twice about using it on my dogs.
Animal testing typically involves injecting chemicals or rubbing directly into purpose-made abrasions or the eyes of animals. It is MUCH more brutal than it sounds.
Im sure they washed dogs with the final formula.
Or they’re taking the approach of software companies nowadays: don’t test, just make the users test in production
Although my dogs have protested loudly about being bathed with this shampoo, I can confirm that they survived and were cleaner as a result.
I just had a great mental picture of some scientists chasing down and tackling a wild dog to try and shampoo it.
I always thought this meant “this specific product was not tested on animals but the research it is based on maybe probably involved animal testing.” Like there’s some foundational knowledge that forms the basis of “how to make a shampoo”, and that knowledge may be gotten through some unethical means.
So while it sounds insane for detergent to label itself gluten-free, for people with severe gluten sensitivity toiletries, cosmetics, and other non-consumable items can still cause them symptoms with exposure, or so I’ve been told by someone I know with gluten intolerance. Whether this is an exaggerated concern or not, there is demand (albeit small) for such products.
No, they have to ingest it. These people are stupid
It depends on the type. Celiac is gut based, but there are other intolerances and allergies. Some are contact based.
I stand corrected.
The detergent I used was supposed to be eco-friendly so its target audience might be looking at plant-based cleaners.
Not just America, that protein marketing fad is aimed at gym bro idiots worldwide.
as a vegan I get asked constantly where I get my protein from.
Legumes, probably. Thats what drove my daughter out of veganism when she tried it. She can’t stand that stuff.
While I’m definitely not vegan, legumes have a good place in my food plan.
Is it vegetables?
It’s got what plants crave.
i assumed it was the popularity of gym culture moving into every day life
Sufficient protein intake is very important when it comes to gaining healthy weight, or retaining muscle mass as you either diet or age. Most people do not get enough protein intake their daily meals, and unlike other things like potassium, iron or vitamins, there’s no easy over the counter pill you can swallow to level that out. In the U.S. people that haven’t been intentional with their diets usually tend towards very carb-heavy diets.
Companies put what they think people care about on their packaging. In the 90’s it was “low fat”. It’s trendy right now in America to eat healthier (perhaps due to fast food abandoning Americans for unsustainable profits) and one of the first two things any American will learn when you start actually paying attention to what you eat is that 1. You’re probably eating too many calories, and 2. You’re not eating enough protein.
Most Americans get significantly more protein than they need, men by ~30% and women by ~15%. Even if you look at the new wildly unscientific federal guidelines saying to get more protein (this is a top down “problem”) Americans tend to still get more than that, but it is closer. A huge problem is the over reliance on animal proteins causing the other issues and the huge lack of fiber Americans struggle with.
But what is the context? Are they 15-30% up on calories because of their intake, do they just eat too much? What about other countries, what about a normal diet, what is a normal diet?
I thought protein was last year and fiber was this year
